Receive expert management of diabetic eye disease in our Melbourne facilities

Diabetes mellitus is not an uncommon disease in Australia, affecting over 1 million of our population. As a frequent complication arising from this condition is diabetic eye disease, Melbourne patients suffering from diabetes are often recommended to come under the care of a retinal ophthalmologist to regularly monitor for diabetic eye problems.

Diabetic eye disease encompasses several issues that can occur within the eye as a result of diabetes and elevated blood glucose.

Diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic damage to the retina at the back of the eye may range from mild with no symptoms to causing severe and permanent vision loss. This is the most common cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes.

Cataract

Though the majority of cataract cases are a result of the normal progression in an ageing eye, patients with diabetes are up to 5 times more likely to develop cataract and to develop this at a younger age. Where vision is affected, cataract surgery can help, with the retina assessed first.

Glaucoma

Diseases of the optic nerve such as glaucoma may occur for a variety of reasons; however, diabetic patients are exposed to double the risk of developing glaucoma compared to a patient without diabetes. Glaucoma is one of the most common causes of irreversible vision loss in Australia.

Maintaining optimal control of your blood glucose levels is the best way to reduce your risk of diabetic eye disease. Our retinal specialists can work alongside your endocrinologist and GP to help you receive high-quality, collaborative care. For those with existing diabetic eye diseases, our Melbourne rooms are equipped to provide treatment to preserve your visual function. High blood pressure and cholesterol levels drive blood vessel damage alongside high blood sugar levels, so diabetes control across all three is central to your long-term eye health.

Diagnosing diabetic eye disease

Accurate staging determines which treatment options are appropriate, so assessment goes beyond a vision test. A dilated examination, using eye drops to widen the pupil, allows the full retina to be inspected for haemorrhages and abnormal new blood vessels. Optical coherence tomography scans the macula for the fluid that signals diabetic macular oedema, while angiography maps retinal blood flow and areas of poor blood supply. Eye pressure is checked. These findings show whether retinopathy is at an early or advanced stage and whether the macula is involved.

Diabetic Retinopathy

The mild stages of diabetic retinopathy present as small haemorrhages and microaneurysms within the retina. If blood sugar continues to be poorly controlled, the retinal disease may advance to larger haemorrhages, areas of oxygen deprivation throughout the retina, and the formation of new abnormal blood vessels. Diabetic retinopathy is broadly classified as non-proliferative or proliferative, with the more severe proliferative form characterised by the development of new fragile blood vessels. These vessels are typically seen in the retina but can also form in other parts of the eye, leading to further diabetic eye complications such as neovascular glaucoma.

Mornington Peninsula Eye Clinic has the facilities to conduct routine monitoring with our diabetic eye specialist in our Melbourne rooms as well as perform any necessary intervention procedures.

Diabetic eye disease treatment options

Which treatment suits you depends on the stage of your retinopathy and whether diabetic macular oedema is present. In the early stages, monitoring and diabetes control may be enough. In the advanced stages, treatment is directed at stopping blood and fluid leaking from abnormal blood vessels.

Intravitreal injections

Though this procedure is more commonly associated with macular degeneration, intravitreal injections of the same medication, anti-VEGF, can be effective at inhibiting the formation of abnormal blood vessels in proliferative retinopathy. Injections of another medication are also often utilised to reduce fluid accumulation around the macula in a condition known as diabetic macular oedema.

Diabetic macular oedema is the most common cause of blurry vision in people with diabetes, and anti-VEGF therapy blocks the vascular endothelial growth factor that drives both the leakage and the growth of new blood vessels. Eye injections are given in our rooms under anaesthetic eye drops, usually monthly at first, with the interval extended as the retina stabilises.

Laser therapy

Using an argon laser, a procedure known as panretinal photocoagulation can be used to seal leaking blood vessels in proliferative retinopathy. This also reduces oxygen demand in affected areas of the retina that may be encouraging abnormal vessel development.

This laser treatment is performed in our rooms and aims to prevent vision loss rather than improve vision already lost, which is why treating proliferative diabetic retinopathy early matters. Vision is commonly blurry for several hours afterwards.

Surgery

Severe retinal haemorrhages or retinal detachments as a result of diabetic retinopathy complications may require surgical intervention by a suitably experienced retinal ophthalmologist and surgeon. In advanced proliferative disease, bleeding into the eye or scar tissue pulling on the retina may require a vitrectomy.

With our diabetic eye specialist, Melbourne patients have access to expert care and management. In addition to our retinal eye doctor, Mornington Peninsula Eye Clinic also offers the services of cataract and glaucoma ophthalmologists who work together to manage further complications of diabetic eye disease if they arise.

Mornington Peninsula Eye Clinic welcomes patients with various diabetic eye diseases to our Melbourne practice, both in our Mornington rooms and in Armadale at our associate practice, Eye Laser Specialists. Call us now to organise your appointment with our retinal specialist.

Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.